Once I contacted Neil and told him what I was looking for he visited my work place and quite quickly was able to advise me which products was the best fit for our business. After the initial visit Neil then agreed to loan us a couple of his products to trial them and they were exactly what we were looking for.

I have since then ordered some lockers through Work Area and have received first class customer care from Neil and updates regularly of when I will receive my goods.

Not only does Work Area provide quality product at a very good price you get the personal touch from Neil who very much embraces the customer care attitude”

Best regards

Mr C. Tucker – Warehouse Manager

One of the things I like to do is watch and observe people. I find myself doing this possibly more so since I started selling  office and industrial chairs.

As part of my job I get to travel all over the country, and couple of days ago I had what I will term “the experience” of travelling to London. Once there I had the pleasure and joys of the London underground system.

During my journey between Marylebone and Mornington Crescent I noticed that the 2 carriages that I could see into clearly, were in almost total silence. The slience only broken by the continuous ting ting ting and accasional banging that could just about be heard through the headphones of the young lady listening to what she would call music on her IPhone.

Wandering eyes

As my eyes wandered and observed what was going on around me, I couldn’t help but notice that when two people accidentally caught the eye of each other, one would hastily look elsewhere, as they didn’t want to be caught looking. On a couple of occasions when I also caught the eye of someone, again they very quickly averted their gaze away. I was waiting for those immortal words – oi ! what you looking at ? but there really wasn’t any need to be so concerned, after all, even people that walked into the carriage holding hands were now sat up in their chairs next to each other in total silence.

It was whilst on this journey that I couldn’t help but notice how everyone was sitting . The 6’ plus, tall man studying the financial times, the 5’ short lady playing on her I Phone. The tall, the short, the large the slim – everyone going about their own day, but all uncannily sat almost exactly the same.
Their bottoms right back in the seat, their backs firmly up against the back of the seat and their feet firmly planted on the floor of the carriage. What can only be described as almost the ideal seating position.

And then to the office

Contract this to when I walked into the architects office for my meeting. Once again I took the opportunity of looking around at the various people in the office whilst I was waiting in the reception area. Nothing out of the ordinary really – all different shapes and sizes, all sat on what appeared to be exactly the same type of black office chair, working at the same size desk and each had the biggest monitor I had ever seen. Yet hardly any of them adopted the same “ideal” seating position as I had witnessed on the tube train.

There were people:

• slouching almost with their chin on the desk. 
• sat with one leg tucked under their bottom,
• having to bend their neck down quite awkwardly whilst trying to read the document on their monitor, 
• sat quite far back and stretching their arms to reach the keyboard
• sat in a very reclined and “relaxed” position, again having to stretch to reach the keyboard

Yet there were only 2, sat in what I would call the ideal seating position.

I noticed that a number of desks were empty, so being inquisitive (some might say nosey) I asked the lady on reception if they were spare desks and if they were recruiting. Oh no, came the reply, we have 3 people off with shoulder and back problems and that one had been off for over a month apparently.

Dilemma time

Do I say anything to try and help, at the risk of upsetting people, or do I keep quiet ?

The gentlemen I had gone to meet invited me to sit at his desk to view some proposed new laboratories on his monitor. I took the opportunity of deliberately taking my time to adjust the chair I had been given, before almost jokingly saying how I like to sit correctly if I am to be at a desk for a long time.
This prompted the comment about not many people in the office liking the chairs, and how hard they seemed. Followed by the chap showing me how loose the back is on his chair. I must admit that the chair didn’t seem to have too much foam on the seat area, compared to what I am used to.

We then got down to the business of discussing the proposed new laboratory that was being designed. This meeting went on for just over an hour, during this time my host was obviously struggling with the comfort of his chair.

Happy to help if I can

I explained that the adjustments of the chair were very easy to make. A few knob turns, few lever pulls, and a few minutes later, my host was in his words “actually feeling rather comfortable” sitting in his chair. To my amazement he also commented that no one had ever shown him how to adjust the chair. 
He again mentioned the lack of foam in the seat, but with a smile on my face I told him that I couldn’t do a lot about that.

We shook hands and ended our meeting, and off I went back on my return journey to sunny old Banbury.

Nice to be appreciated

To my surprise and totally unexpected a very nice email from the chap at the architects thanking me for my time and for helping with his chair.

Just goes to show, that taking a few minutes to actually adjust your chair to suit you, is well worth the time and effort.

That sinking feeling.

All is going well, but as the day goes by, your desk / bench seems to be getting higher. Well of course that can’t be happening, unless it’s one that’s height adjustable. A more likely scenario is that your chair is dropping down.

What’s the problem?

Of all the components that make up a chair, pretty much the only thing that can go wrong is the failure of the gas strut – that’s’ the bit that goes between the seat and the base of the chair.
Typically this would be due to old age, but can also be caused by making constant adjustments to the height of the chair.

What are the options?

The most common thing to do is to go and buy a new chair.
But why spend all that money when you possibly don’t have to?
It is in fact a very simple, quick, and easy task to replace the gas strut on a chair

How?

Once you have the new gas strut, you will require either, a rubber / plastic mallet or a hammer and a block of wood. Yes that really is all you need, and about 5 minutes of your time.

• Turn the chair onto its side.
• Using the hammer or mallet hit the steel plate on the underside of the seat of the chair until the seat comes away from the gas strut.
• Then, whilst holding onto the gas strut, use the hammer or mallet to hit the star base of the chair – making sure that you rotate it so that each “leg “ of the star gets equal force applied, Continue until it comes away from the gas strut.
• Remember to use the piece of wood when using the hammer, so that you are not striking the actual chair and to offer protection against possible damage.
• Insert the new gas strut to the seat of the chair.
• Then pick up the chair and position the gas strut into the hole in the star base.
• Sit on the chair, and have a quick bounce on it.
• Job done

So there you go, at a fraction of the cost of a new chair, the old one is back in use and probably as good as new.

If your chair is giving you that sinking feeling, don’t hesitate to contact us, and we will do our best to help.

In a typical year the average office chair spends around 2000 hours in use, over a working life that’s more than 10 years of constant use! Slightly less for laboratory chairs, but also slightly more in some industrial environments. Most would agree that something which has such a big impact on physical comfort and well being is something worth spending time on to get right. Chairs are often purchased without any form of consultation with the end user to ensure that they are given the best chair for its intended use.
The best way to choose a chair is to see which fits your personal shape, often a chair which seems comfortable initially can cause problems after an extended period of use.
The best chair is the one you find most comfortable. For a chair to be comfortable it has to adjust to your personal shape, and everyone is different.
Sitting properly in a well-fitted chair helps to limit back strain and discomfort. Since one size does not fit all, make sure that as a minimum, your chair has: seat adjustment, backrest adjustment and armrest adjustment.

So what do you need to consider?

When choosing a chair, employers need to consider the needs of the individual, the type of work being carried out and the dimensions of the workstation. There are simple basic checks to ensure that seating is safe and suitable:
• Is the chair comfortable for the intended period of use?
• Is the lower back adequately supported?
• Is the upholstery sufficiently supportive and comfortable?
• Are edges sufficiently padded and shaped to prevent uncomfortable pressure on the thighs?
• Does the chair have adequate types and ranges of adjustment?
• Is the height adjustable to allow work to be carried out at or below elbow n height?
• Does the backrest adjust sufficiently in height and depth to allow the user to gain support?
• Are armrests suitable for the task and workstation?
• Do the armrests allow the user to bring the chair far enough forward?
• Do the armrests allow adequate arm movement?
• Are footrests required and, if so, are they suitable?
• Are there special requirements for a chair at this particular workstation?
• Are there special user requirements?
• Are there special task requirements?

The above items should be considered both when choosing new chairs, but can equally be used to assess that existing seating is of the correct type.

Office / factory seating and the law

Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers are required to assess risks including those that arise from seating at work. They must also have arrangements in place to protect employees’ health and safety in the workplace, which includes seating.
For example, employers will need to assess whether seating design is suitable and safe for the type of work being done. Employers will also need to consider any likely changes in the work conditions as this may require different seating design. The costs and benefits of different seating design may also need to be considered alongside the suitability of chairs being used.

Facts about back pain.

Below are some interesting facts from www.backcare.org.uk

• Almost half the population of the UK (49%) report low back pain lasting for 24 hours at some point in the year.
• It is the UK’s leading cause of disability, affecting 1.1. million people
• Over 1.4 million working days was lost as a result of back pain in 2007-2008 with each sufferer taking an average of 17 days off work
• Cost to the UK in lost production estimated at £6 billion

Irrespective of age and gender, back pain can have a devastating effect of people’s lives. Many of those affected by back pain face a future of long-term disability and pain, resulting in depression, loss of employment and social isolation.

Remember!

Whether you use an office chair an industrial chair or a laboratory chair make sure it is right for you and more importantly make sure it is correctly adjusted.